Revealed: The most valued TV programmes according to Sunderland viewers

To mark the 70th year since the introduction of the first combined radio and TV Licence , the organisation has examined Twitter mentions of "worth the licence fee" over the past year to draw up a list of the most popular programmes across the country.

And in Sunderland, it found that David Attenborough documentaries and The Trip - starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon - were the most popular.

Dramas and nature documentaries are the genres driving online engagement in Sunderland, according to data gathered by TV Licensing , with thousands of appreciations for shows and programmes viewers deem "worth the licence fee".

Viewers increasingly turn to social media sites such as Twitter to discuss their TV preferences, and in the past year more than 300 individual BBC programmes and services have been linked to the value of the Licence Fee.

TV Licensing's Matthew Thompson said: "Twitter is a powerful way of sharing your appreciation of your favourite show and the data indicates just how important these landmark TV shows are to Licence Fee payers.

"The Licence Fee is used to fund the BBC’s programmes and services, and it’s interesting to note people still engage with these shows in real-time. Despite changes in new ways of watching, more than 95 per cent of all viewing is live, with Licence Fee payers covered to watch on their TV, phones or tablets."

The Night Manager drama proved to be most popular with Twitter users across the whole of the UK taking first place for unique mentions of a TV series, with 492 mentions.

The top 10 programmes deemed "worth the licence fee" by viewers across the UK

• The Night Manager (492 mentions)

• The Hunt (403 mentions)

• Happy Valley (241 mentions)

• BBC Proms (166 mentions)

• Panorama (156 mentions)

• Strictly (123 mentions)

• DIY SOS (106 mentions)

• Line of Duty (106 mentions)

• Britain's Forgotten Slave Owner (100 mentions)

• War & Peace (97 mentions)